Head to head, paid tier against paid tier
Kin Album app vs FamilyAlbum Premium (2026)
FamilyAlbum's Premium Family plan is the fair thing to put beside Kin Album, which has no free tier. Paying FamilyAlbum removes the ads and lengthens the videos; it does not stop the resizing or give the company any less access to the photos. Kin Album keeps the originals, shows no ads at any tier, and is the only album here whose company cannot open them. Kin Album is made by the company that runs this site.
In short: Kin Album wins on the criteria this site weights most — originals kept, no ads at any tier, and a company that cannot open the photos. FamilyAlbum Premium wins on price ($59 a year against about $120), on Android, on a free first month, and on relatives who upload their own photos. Kin Album is made by the company that runs this site.
| Criterion | Kin Album* | FamilyAlbum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99/mo for everyone; no free tier[1] | Free with ads; Premium Family $5.99/mo or $59/yr[2][3] |
| Do relatives have to pay? | No[1] | No — one plan covers the album[3] |
| Storage limit | No limit published; 400 MB per video[1] | Unlimited, free[3][4] |
| Photos kept at full quality? | Yes — originals[5][6] | No — uploads and downloads are resized[7] |
| Video limits | 400 MB per video (~6 min at iPhone default)[1][5] | 2 min free; 10 min on Premium[8][2] |
| Ads? | No[1] | Yes, on the free version (third-party ads)[2] |
| AI or face recognition run on your photos? | No — can't; photos encrypted before upload[1][6] | Not stated[3][9] |
| Can the company open your photos? | No — end to end; company holds no key[6] | Yes — in transit only; staff access for support[9] |
| Can family look without installing an app? | Yes — any browser, or by email[1] | Yes — browser-version invitation[10][11] |
| Do viewers need an account? | Partly Members sign in; email recipients don't[1] | Yes — web login or app account[10] |
| Can family add their own photos? | Partly — a second parent as admin[1] | Partly — app members, if an admin allows[11] |
| Can you leave with everything? | Yes — originals, on the phone[5][1] | Partly — downloads are the resized copies[7][11] |
| Platforms | iPhone app (not in the App Store yet when checked) + any browser; no Android app[1] | iOS, Android, browser version[10][8] |
| App Store label: data used to track you | Label not yet published when checked[1] | Yes Identifiers used to track you[12] |
| How it makes money | Subscription only[1] | Ads, Premium, prints and photobooks[2][4] |
* Kin Album is made by Cobblestone, LLC, which runs this site. Compared on the same criteria as every other app here; no app pays us anything.
Where they differ
What paying buys. FamilyAlbum’s Premium Family plan removes third-party ads, lifts the video limit from 2 to 10 minutes, and adds uploading from a computer, for everyone in the album. It doesn’t change the two things its own help pages are plainest about: uploads are “slightly resized”, and what you download back is the resized copy. Kin Album has nothing to remove — no ads at any price — and stores the original.
Who can open the photos. FamilyAlbum encrypts in transit and says authorised employees may access data to provide support and operate the service; it makes no end-to-end claim. Kin Album encrypts on the phone and says its servers hold “ciphertext and wrapped keys” and cannot decrypt the pictures, with captions, comments, names and an optional email preview image disclosed as the exceptions.
Price. Paid against paid, FamilyAlbum is roughly half the cost: $59 a year for Premium Family against about $120 a year for Kin Album, and FamilyAlbum gives first-time subscribers a month free where Kin Album gives no trial. Premium Family Pro, the 1080p tier, is $109 a year, close to Kin Album’s price.
Video. FamilyAlbum Premium: up to 10 minutes, at a maximum of 720p on Premium Family or 1080p on Premium Family Pro. Kin Album: up to 400 MB per file at original quality, about six minutes at the iPhone default and less at 4K. Longer on one side, unreduced on the other.
Relatives. Both reach a relative with nothing installed: FamilyAlbum’s browser-version invitation (a link and a web login; view and comment, no uploading), Kin Album’s browser view after signing in or its email recipients, who need no account at all. On contributing, FamilyAlbum has the edge: app members can upload if an admin enables it, where on Kin Album only a second admin posts.
Platforms. FamilyAlbum runs on iOS and Android and, on Premium, uploads from a computer. Kin Album is iPhone plus any browser, with no Android app; Android relatives view in a browser or by email.
The tracking label. FamilyAlbum’s App Store label lists Identifiers as data used to track you and ties location, identifiers and usage data to third-party advertising; paying doesn’t change the label. Kin Album’s label had not been published when we checked, so that row can’t be scored yet.
Who should pick which
On this site’s criteria Kin Album wins this one, and it isn’t close on the rows the criteria weight most: originals kept, no ads at any tier, and a company that cannot open the photos. FamilyAlbum Premium wins on price, on Android, on a free first month, and on relatives who upload their own photos — and if a resized copy is fine for the family album and the originals live on your phone, that is a reasonable trade at half the price. Kin Album is made by the company that runs this site; every row above links to its source, so check the ones that decide it for you.
Sources
- Kin Album — kinalbum.com home page, checked 2026-09-13
Kin Album is a private family photo album for the people you invite and no one else. Every photo is encrypted on your phone before it uploads, so even Kin Album can't look … $9.99 a month · one subscription covers everyone you invite … Relatives never pay, and there are no storage tiers — nothing to be downgraded out of. No free tier, no trial … Videos up to 400 MB each, about six minutes at the iPhone default … The album opens in any browser. Or add her as an email recipient and the photos arrive in her inbox, with no account at all … Kin Album shows no ads, runs no AI on your photos, and cannot open them … You are not the only one who can post — make someone else an admin and their photos land in the same album … Albums are created in the iPhone app — invited family joins right here, no app needed. The app isn't in the App Store yet.
- FamilyAlbum — FamilyAlbum Premium — plans page, checked 2026-09-12
One $2.99 USD/month · Family $5.99 USD/month, $59 USD/year · Family Pro $10.99 USD/month, $109 USD/year … No Third-Party Ads — [Premium] … Some of the best memories last longer than 2 minutes. With a FamilyAlbum Premium plan, upload videos up to 10 minutes long … Max Resolution: Premium Family Pro 1920 x 1080, Premium Family 1280 x 720.
- FamilyAlbum — Help: What's the difference between FamilyAlbum Premium and the free version?, checked 2026-09-12
The free version of FamilyAlbum includes unlimited storage and uploads. (Videos must be shorter than 2 minutes in length) … When one member subscribes an album to a family plan, all members of that album get access to Premium features.
- FamilyAlbum — family-album.com home page, checked 2026-09-12
Free Unlimited Storage … Get 11 Free Prints Every Month … Ready to Go Photobooks … Only family members you invite can see your album.
- Kin Album — Kin Album — Help, checked 2026-09-13
Settings → Export, any time, no fee and no waiting period. Your iPhone decrypts your album and builds a zip of the original files right on the device … What happens if I stop paying? Posting stops. Nothing is deleted, and everyone can still look, comment and export — so you can take it all with you whenever you like … The share sheet is photos-only for now; videos post from inside the app.
- Kin Album — Kin Album — Security (updated 10 Aug 2026), checked 2026-09-12
Photos and videos are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded … Our servers store ciphertext and wrapped keys. We cannot decrypt your pictures … A few narrow things are readable server-side so the product can work, and we say so plainly: captions, comments, and names are stored readably; if you opt a relative into email photo updates, a small preview image is prepared for that email outside the encryption.
- FamilyAlbum — Help: Do you resize uploads?, checked 2026-09-12
Currently, photos and videos uploaded to FamilyAlbum are slightly resized … Please note that the photos and videos downloaded from FamilyAlbum and placed on FamilyAlbum DVDs are the resized versions.
- FamilyAlbum — Help: What restrictions are there on uploading photos and videos?, checked 2026-09-12
There's no limit to the amount you can upload for free, and videos can be up to 2 minutes long. (Maximum video length is increased to 10 minutes with FamilyAlbum Premium.) … Uploading via computer is a Premium feature.
- FamilyAlbum — FamilyAlbum User Privacy Policy, checked 2026-09-12
Data transferred between your device and our servers is encrypted using the latest encryption technology … We don't sell your data to any third parties … Authorized employees or affiliates to provide customer support, operate our services …
- FamilyAlbum — Help: What's the difference between the app version and browser version?, checked 2026-09-12
If you invite family to the browser version, they will be able to view and comment on your album without downloading the app … Browser-version invitations contain a unique link that the invitee can easily open to access your album.
- FamilyAlbum — Help: What's the difference between Album Admins and Album Members?, checked 2026-09-12
Upload photos and videos — Album Admin ✔ · Album Member (App) △ Must be enabled by an Album Admin · Album Member (Browser) × … Download photos and videos — △ May be disabled by an Album Admin.
- FamilyAlbum — App Store listing: FamilyAlbum — App Privacy, checked 2026-09-12
Data Used to Track You: Identifiers. Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising: Location, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics … In-App Purchases: Premium Family $5.99 · Premium Family Pro $10.99 · Premium Family (Yearly) $59.00 · Premium Family Pro (Yearly) $109.00 · Premium One $2.99.
Questions people ask
Does FamilyAlbum Premium keep photos at full quality?
No. FamilyAlbum’s help centre says uploads are ‘slightly resized’ and that downloads and DVDs are the resized versions; the Premium plans page lists a maximum video resolution of 1280 × 720 for Premium Family and 1920 × 1080 for Premium Family Pro. Kin Album says it stores the encrypted original and exports ‘the original files’.
Which costs more, Kin Album or FamilyAlbum Premium?
Kin Album: $9.99 a month, about $120 a year, no free tier or trial. FamilyAlbum Premium Family: $5.99 a month or $59 a year, with a free month for first-time subscribers; Premium Family Pro is $10.99 a month or $109 a year. Both cover everyone in the album.
Does paying for FamilyAlbum remove the tracking?
The Premium plans page lists ‘No Third-Party Ads’ as a Premium feature. The App Store privacy label, which applies to the app as a whole, lists Identifiers under data used to track you, and location, identifiers and usage data linked to you for third-party advertising. Kin Album’s label had not been published when we checked.